60 Friday, April 1, 1983
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
JNF Efforts Successful as Jerusalem Pine Returns
By BILL CLARK
(A Seven Arts Feature)
Passover is the tradi-
tional time of pilgrimage to
Jerusalem for the Jewish
people. As travellers make
their way to Yerushelayim
shel zahav (the City of Gold)
they will see one of the most
conspicuous restoration
projects in Israel. This is the
return of the Jerusalem
pine, that lofty evergreen
which once carpeted the
hillsides north from Judea
all the way into Lebanon
and beyond.
The restoration — or af-
forestation, as botanists
prefer to call it — has virtu-
ally transformed tens of
thousands of barren moun-
tain acres into verdant,
sweet-smelling forests. The
millions of trees which have
been planted, through the
efforts of the Jewish Na-
tional Fund, have brought a
dramatic change to the
landscape, regional wildlife
and even the climate.
Forests have served Is-
rael throughout antiquity.
The Bible relates many uses
of the sturdy pine timbers —
from resilient construction
beams to delicate musical
instruments. Indeed, it is
very likely that David, the
shepherd boy of the Judean
Hills, once strummed on a
harp he had fashioned from
Jerusalem pine.
The forests sometimes
served as refuge for Is-
rael's Jews, particularly
r
during times when
foreign armies con-
quered the land and de-
stroyed the cities. From
these forests also sprang
the spirit of resistance.
Judah Maccabee led his
army against the occu-
pying Syrians from
enclaves ,within forests,
and a few centuries later
Zealots used the great
pine forests for cover
during their frequent
raids of harassment on
the Roman legions.
The Romans cut down
many forests. Later, the
Byzantines, Arabs, Crusad-
ers and Mamelukes, each in
turn, shaved away more of
the forests. Finally came
the Ottoman Turks, who
brought massive, and
nearly complete, destruc-
tion to the forests. Most of
the destruction took place in
the late 19th and early 20th
Centuries, when the Turks
used timber to fuel their
railroad locomotives.
There wasn't much left
when the Jewish pioneers
started; arriving to rebuild
their ancient homeland.
One of the wisest decisions
of the early settlers was to
begin replacing the
Jerusalem pine.
The tree thrives in that
part of the world. It is gen-
erally a fast grower with lit-
tle need of attention. In-
deed, it seems to thrive on
neglect.
A young Jerusalem
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Pine forests like this one near Jerusalem served
as a refuge for the ancient Israelites but didn't always
survive the centuries of turmoil in the Middle East.
Most of the forests in modern day Israel were planted
by the Jewish National Fund.
* * *
pine is a supple plant
with a smooth, gray bark.
As it grows, it becomes
less flexible, and the
trunk develops deep,
jagged furrows. Its nee-
dles are quite long and
grow in pairs. Housed in
cones, the Jerusalem
pine's seeds take 20
months to develop,
maturing just in time for
the winter rains which
water the Judean Hills.
Although the Jerusalem
pine may eventually tower
a full 50 feet in the air, its
roots rarely penetrate more
than 36 inches into the
earth. This is one of many
delightful adaptations
which bind the organism to
its habitat, for there are
very few places in the hills
around Jerusalem where
there is more than three feet
of soil. Beneath this is a
seam of solid limestone.
The pine trees roots kept
the soil from eroding. The
great pine forests also serve
as home for many wild crea-
tures. There are branches
for nesting birds, and shel-
ter from the hard, harsh
summer sun for many
mammals, reptiles and in-
sects. Indeed, the cooler
shadows create whole new
habitats which support a
great variety of organisms.
The Jerusalem pines are
an enchantment anywhere.
Climb atop Mount Scopus,
just south of the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem,
and you'll find a stand of
pines which frames the
cityscape of Jerusalem it-
self. Or travel west of the
city to the JNF's Jerusalem
Forest, where a delightful
ramble beyond Mount Herzl
leads one through popular
recreation areas and silent
grottoes from contempla-
tion, all cloaked by the
Jerusalem pine. The wind
catches the fresh odors of
the pines, filling the air
with sweetness.
Case to Aid Trifa Dismissed
U.S. District Court Judge
Horace Gilmore dismissed a
suit on Monday brought by
eight parishoners of Roma-
nian Orthodox Archbishop
Valerian Trifa who were
trying to prevent Trifa's de-
portation. --
The church members
argued in court that Trifa
had written most of the
church's "holy sacraments,
liturgy, by-laws and
hymns" and had prevented
Soviet Communist domina-
tion of the church in this
country.
They claimed that Trifa's
deportation would mean the
destruction of the church
and would deprive the
members of the right to
practice their religion.
Judge Gilmore called
the suit "frivolous" and
said there were no
grounds for the case. The
church members said
they would appeal.
Trifa, accused of inciting
a pogrom in Bucharest in
1941 that led to the deaths
of hundreds of Jews, halted
deportation proceedings
against him on October by
voluntarily submitting to
deportation.
Israel May be Closing in
on Elusive Olympic Medal
By HASKELL COHEN
(Copyright 1983, JTA, Inc.)
Up to now, no Israeli has
ever won an Olympic medal.
The closest to that goal
was hurdler Esther Roth-
Shachamorov, who, during
the 1976 Games, finished
fifth in the 110-meter hur-
dle final. Edward Weitz, an
immigrant from Russia,
managed a sixth place in
weight-lifting that year in
Montreal.
. If Israel is to take its first
Olympic medal in 1984, it
will probably come in sail-
ing. Shimshon Brockman
and Eytan Friedlander, two
comparative youngsters,
have been winning consis-
tently in international boat-
ing events. This duo ranks
among the top five in
Europe and last year were
voted "Sportsmen of the
Year" in Israel.
Meanwhile, there is a
strong likelihood that at
least one of three Israeli
lightweights will make
the Olympic boxing
squad slated for competi-
tion in Los Angeles. The
prospects include Moshe
Shigauker and Shlomo
Niazzo, together with an
Arab from Acre by the
name of Kassam Barake.
Gymnasts specializing in
artistic exercises, like
Daphna Garson and Liet
Haninowitzh have reached
the highest peak in Israel.
Their showing in the world
championships in Budapest
this year will determine
whether or not they will be
making the trip to Califor-
nia.
One other promising
prospect for the long trek to
the United States is 19-
year-old Aviram Mizrachi,
who is an outstanding
canoer.
Although both are only
23, they have been training
and competing together for
the past 10 years. Appar-
ently a great deal of their
success is due to the fact
that they served together in
the Israeli Navy.
The traditional Jewish
greeting to a mourner is,
"May the Lord comfort you
together with all those who
mourn for Zion."
The U.S. accused him of
concealing his ties to the
fascist Romanian Iron
Guard when he entered the
United States and when he
filed for U.S. citizenship in
the 1950s.
Jewish Film,
Book, TV Show
Win Awards
NEW YORK (JTA) — A
book, a film and a television
special, each dealing with
some phase of Jewish life,
were among the Christ-
opher award winners for
1983.
The film was "The Cho-
sen," based on Chaim
Potok's book about the
friendship of an Orthodox
boy with an Hasidic youth.
The book was "Hasidic
Tales of the Holocaust" by
Yaffa Eliach. The television
special was "A Woman
Called Golda," on the life of
Israel's first woman Prime
Minister.
The Christopher awards
are given each year to
writers, producers and di-
rectors for artistic excel-
lence in creating works that
affirm the highest values of
the human spirit. The
Christophers is a non-
denominational Christan
organization.
Envoy Issues
Call for Aliya
NEW YORK — Israel's
acting ambassador to the
U.S., Benjamin Netanyahu,
stressed the importance of
aliya in strengthening the
Jewish state, at an aliya
conference at Temple Israel
in Miami in March.
The conference was
attended by 300 American
Jews who will be moving to
Israel in the near future.
French, Jewish Artist Noted
at Home, Unknown Abroad
years. His wife Ghera, the
model for virtually every
While his name is virtu- female image in Benn's ar-
ally a household term in tistic repertoire, is said to be
French artistic circles, the woman most often
Benn, the 78-year-old painted in modern art.
In the interview with
Bialystok-born painter, is
still largely unknown in Benn his wife is an ani-
mated participant as well.
North America.
Relegated to a mere nine They speak
lines in Cecil Roth's "Jewish enthusiastically about the
Art" Benn (ne Benzion reception which Benn's
Rabinovich) nevertheless work has been accorded by
now dominates French art. both the art critics and the
His recent publication of public. An exhibition of
sketches he executed just Benn's works at the Musee
before the Nazi occupation de la monnaie in 1980 still
of France has reconfirmed provokes comment among
the unique position he holds Paris' gallery aficionados.
What is so unique about a
in French life.
The recipient of artistic Jewish painter living in
awards too numerous to list, Paris? "There are three
Benn has been recognized principal sources that flow
by the city of Paris, UN- in to my art. The first is my
ESCO and a host of other sensitivity to visual influ-
agencies and countries. He ences. The second is the
is a chevalier de la legion inner eye that guides my ar-
d'honneur, a honorific title tistic temperament.
of which he is proud.
"The third is the He-
In an interview with brew Bible."
this writer conducted in a
Benn's visual reproduc-
melange of languages tion of selected verses from
(Benn speaks Russian, the Psalms and The Song of
Hebrew, Yiddish, Polish Songs were first shown at
and, of course, French) Expo '67 in Montreal. They
the famous painter indi- are now available in album
cated that he came to form.
Paris as a young man to
The artist explains that
study painting with the he did the Hebrew callig-
luminaries that inhabited raphy for each verse
the city in the teen years selected for illustration
from the Psalms and the
of the century.
In his studio apartment Song of Songs.
It took Benn 17 years to
on Boul. Montparnasse in
Paris, Benn is surrounded complete the calligraphic
by huge oil murals which he and painting parts of his
has accumulated over the Song of Songs.
By ARNOLD AGES
(Copyright 1983, JTA, Inc.)